United CEO Oscar Munoz is in Hawaii this week and had some choice words for Honolulu International Airport.
As he toured airport facilities on Tuesday, Munoz told local media:
I hate to be over dramatic but we’ve got to fix this. This is the jewel of this island. People love coming here and we’ve got to have an airport that represents it…
I toured this airport with our team this morning … and literally things are coming off the wall.
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, as the airport is officially known, is certainly past its prime. And I too have also witnessed “things” coming off the wall.
Part of me, however, thinks the problem is not so much in the airport (which, in some senses, timeless) but simply its poor upkeep and a curiously-prolonged renovation process. I don’t make it to Honolulu more than 1-2 times per year, but it seems like terminal renovations have been going on for years in the Diamond Head Concourse that United uses for its operations. Walls and barriers have been constructed, escalators are out of commission, and the G-Gate area simply looks like a never-ending construction zone.
Go back a few years and it certainly was not modern, but it was kitschy and functioned:
I don’t think people are looking for modern facilities when they come to Honolulu–even business travelers. I do think they are looking for clean, efficient, and well-kept facilities. They are also looking for decent restaurants and plugs for their electronic devices. That’s where this airport seems to have failed. New carpet and new restaurants seems a lot cheaper than tearing down walls and wood paneling.
But United will invest $200MN in improving its terminal facilities at HNL and Hawaii’s Department of Transportation is in the midst of a larger $3BN renovation project.
In the process, I hope they don’t wreck it! I think the airport has incredible charm, in its own way:
CONCLUSION
With the facilities in disarray, for now Munoz can only bank on warm hospitality and dependable service. He added:
We have deep roots here … understand the culture, we employ a lot of folks here and I think our general level of service will continue to be dominant.
When it comes to Hawaii or any destination, that is in indeed the most important ingredient.
How important to you is a beautiful new facility in Honolulu?
Went to HNL for the first time and wow it’s a complete mess from what I thought it would be. For a popular destination with a good number of intl flights you would think the airport would be nicer.
Santorini still wins the award for the worst airport at a popular destination.
I totally agree with CEO Munoz. Daniel K. Inouye International (HNL) is the “sorriest” airport I have visited. Unfortunately, I live on Oahu which makes HNL the default airport for me and my family. I travel off island 4 to 6 times a year, and I still couldn’t get over my dismay over the dismal condition of our airport. I also wonder if these renovations in Terminal 3 will ever end (started about 3 years ago). The only progress I noticed are installation of flight information screens and two very poorly designed toilets which should be demolished and done over. But, of course, this is Hawai’i where everything they do takes up to 30 years to finish. Remember H-3?
But the problem is absolutely the airport or rather the State of Hawaii Dept of Transportation which manages the airport. Like every government run entity they’re a disaster and have never once completed a project on time or on budget. The airlines collectively have been trying to establish a proper airport authority like every other airport across the country has which could cut through the red tape and get things done but the State is too proud to get out of their own way. Instead the airport is a mess and officials look as dumb as they are confused. United’s gates are all common use in HNL so even if UA wanted to do something they wouldn’t be allowed to because it’s not their space. I’ve heard UA will start construction on their new club renovation project in January 2020…in the meantime I’ll hangout in the new NH lounge and show up at the gate in time to walk onboard.
I love HNL – it is a classic 1960s design that is architecturally distinct and also very fitting for an island. I love the outdoor walkways and wiki wiki (“quick”) shuttle. I hope they do not change the wood paneling and other accents and turn it into a disgusting modern glass and steel behemoth. It should fit the mood and laid-back culture of the island.
Unfortunately the new work probably won’t retain the Hawaiian flavor. The Southwest gates at HNL look like any generic airport(Though for many HNL gates, this is a grand improvement even if there is no personality).
I loved that so much of the airport was open-air, which of course you wouldn’t be able to get away with in very many locales sporting as much air traffic.
Don’t mind the wood paneling, but it’s important to realize that expecting more electric outlets would require a massive investment in renovating not just the walls but the electrical infrastructure. Even assuming there is, or can be, enough capacity in the electrical service, do you tear up walls and floors to install wiring and outlets? Do you tack conduit on existing walls instead, which starts to look yucky?
I remember when Governor Linda Lingle unveiled a massive airport redevelopment 15+ years ago and it sounds like work is still ongoing. Sigh. At its core, this airport hasn’t changed since my family would go to Hawaii on vacation when I was a kid in the 1980s.
I actually quite like the “mid century” decor that has managed to go through phases of fashionable, dated and nostalgia-chic through the past several decades. That said, you can keep the design while ensuring the airport is well-maintained, clean, efficient and with the amenities one would expect from a modern airport.
Never been but based on the photos above, that is a beautiful airport. Not everything needs to be modernized to ugly, 21st-century glass and steel.
“I remember when Governor Linda Lingle unveiled a massive airport redevelopment 15+ years ago and it sounds like work is still ongoing. Sigh. ”
Can’t work today brah, gotta go surfing……
I have seen some changes throughout the years on my visits to HNL. I generally stop by HNL once or twice a year, which is fine. I really like the outdoor environment and love taking photos of the planes without the window. They have made small changes throughout the year but I agree that there are some works need to be done. However, arriving here from an international flight is not pleasant because you need to take Wiki Wiki airport shuttle to the international arrival hall. It seems to be an unnecessary hassle. After visiting the new Shimojishima terminal in Japan earlier this year, an outdoor airport can be modern and actually pretty. Hawaii has lots of to learn from the Japanese.
However, my main pet peeve remains that they don’t really have a decent airport hotel. Yes Waikiki is not that far from the airport but there is still a legitimate need for an actually NICE airport hotel. I have stayed at the current ones and honestly will never want to stay there again. I have heard that Courtyard by Marriott will have an airport branch finally but that does not happen to be true. I sincerely hope that a chain airport hotel will open up soon.
+1 on the lack of a decent Airport Hotel. I always assumed they expect everyone (even overnight transfer passengers) to just stay in Waikiki. Downtown is a little closer, so the Aston at the Executive Centre is a slightly closer option for an overnight hotel stay if you really want to avoid the Best Western The Plaza near the airport.
Too bad Munoz has so much time on his hands that he can critique the Honolulu International Airport. He might better spend his time improving United’s increasingly horrible in-flight service, poor customer service, and public relations that are a disaster!
I hope the comments about the HNL United Club renovations are true …. and they could stand to at least double its size— it was too small at times before the merger and now after the merger it’s obviously even worse.
The restrooms in the Diamondhead concourse are in serious, serious need of more space as well as significant refurbishment— more regular cleaning would help too.
When we arrived at the airport in Honolulu ( Jan,2019), it was shocking to see how dilapidated the facilities. It looks just like it did 40yrs ago. The benches in the waiting areas, bathrooms and the walls..mmmnn!! It needs an upgrade! People should be greeted to something that’s beautiful so that they can have the desire to return.
My main airport is KOA but I fly through HNL less and less because the facilities including the United Club are lacking and long overdue for renovation. In the terminal, the wood paneling, the charm, the iconic sculptural Hawaiian style tile should stay because of all things, they speak to the history of this place. But the falling ceiling tiles, the water that comes through the roof when it rains and the dilapidation should go. That Oscar Munoz wants to take on this project, I say, thank you for the reinvestment in a unique place that is synonymous with my first airline adventure.
Please don’t make it look like every other airport in the world. Leave open-air concourses alone. The breezes and the scent of plumeria that greet you as you transit through are the first things that say “ALOHA to Hawaii”.
Be mindful of the fact that the travelers you see in HNL are often LARGE groups of families, outrigger paddlers, adventurers. So groupings of seatings or banks of phone chargers should accommodate 10-14, not 4-6. Sturdily built vented chairs instead of upholstered ones. Concourses should feature a few upscale restaurants but add more places where folks can get a quick “plate lunch” Hawaiian style. Partner with a good hotel chain that has 4-hour transit rooms so that one can get a nap and shower before connecting on to the rest of the world. Maybe there is room for a provider who has shower and nap rooms! Then you’ll have something that actually works.
“Please don’t make it look like every other airport in the world. Leave open-air concourses alone. The breezes and the scent of plumeria that greet you as you transit through are the first things that say “ALOHA to Hawaii”.
-Couldn’t agree more. I think the wood paneling, original design chandeliers, open air concourses and gardens make HNL unique and special. That feeling when you step off the plane and on to the open-air concourse and smell the flowers and feel the warmth and humidity is something really special and Hawaiian. It’s the only major airport I can think of that still looks the same as when I was a kid in the 80’s and that says something! But by all means, fix what needs to be fixed and upgrade amenities.
I should have said “E Komo Mai” – Welcome. But hey, Aloha is hello and goodbye!
You’re far too kind. The HNL airport is a shithole. That’s the common spelling of dilapidated. The United area of the terminal is actually much better than the rest of the airport – with the Hawaiian Terminal and overcrowded mess of epic proportions. Every public area is not just old but poorly maintained and an embarrassment to Hawai’i.
Kona isn’t much better but at least they’re working on it.
This kind of place is a horrible welcome for our tourist visitors both domestic and foreign. Can you imagine what the Japanese think when they leave from the modernity and cleanliness of Narita, Haneda, or Kansai in walk into this filthy mess?
And this is the worst “last impression’ we can leave our tourists. Our lifeblood.